A Great Dane helped to save a Kansas City-area woman's life, changed the way a domestic violence shelter operates and won a national recognition.

The Humane Society announced that the area pet has been named its Valor Dog of the Year and has won the "People's Hero Award."

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A woman who escaped an abusive man last August said she and her dog were injured.

"He turned around, went after my abuser and laid on top of me," she said.

She didn't want to leave the pet behind when she went to the Rose Brooks Center for help.

"I could not let that happen to this animal that just saved my life," she said.

"She wouldn't have come without him," said Sarah North of the Rose Brooks Center. She said, "I would have rather lived in my car and driven around than abandoned a dog that had saved my life, and who are we to make that call?"

The dog, who goes by the names Hank and J. Matthew, became the first dog that Rose Brooks ever took in. Officials there said many women are reluctant to leave abusive homes for fear of losing beloved pets.

The center started using a basement bathroom as a haven for other pets of domestic violence victims.

"We've had 38 pets since we allowed J. Matthew to come into our shelter," said Susan Miller of the Rose Brooks Center.

The shelter is adding a wing to make room for more women and it will also build a pet shelter that will open later this year.

"In 84 percent of cases when a woman is being abused, the pet is being abused, too," said Miller.

The woman said she and J. Matthew plan to keep a low profile as they rebuild their lives. They will have the help of the additional money they received from the national awards.